"Just kidding, my name is Mark (for those of you that don't know me) and I live in a small town near the massive city of New York."

The Web ... an attempt at the first Facebook.

Zuckerberg grew up in the town of White Plains near New York City. He turns 29 years old next month.

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The website creator said he had just completed his freshman year of high school, and that he made the site to promote a program he wrote for use at internet portal AOL.

A website page hinted at an early interest in tapping the social potential of the internet with a project called The Web.

Early days ... Mark Zuckerberg in 2005.

"This is one of the few applets that require your participation to work well," the website maker said in a message.

"If your name is already on the web because someone else has chosen to be linked to you, then you may choose two additional people to be linked with," he continued.

"Otherwise, if you see someone who you know and would like to be linked with but your name is not already on The Web, then you can contact me and I will link that person to you and put you on The Web."

Mark Zuckerberg.

Website features included games and a page devoted to models of molecules such as ethane inspired by a high school biochemistry lecture.

Along with mini-programs that included a drawing tool and a grade point average calculator, the website had a "Best" page devoted to "my friends, and of course, bad comedy".

The laser was listed as the best achievement by a human and the quesadilla as the best food.

Facebook did not respond to a request for comment, but online reports said that the email provided on the website was an account that belonged to Zuckerberg's father.

The website was brought to light by a user of Hacker News, a website designed for hackers.